maryhou

I think when we were here last there was a hotel with an infinity pool and you could see the cruise ships.  Any idea what hotel this would be?  Do they do day passes?

Thanks in advance !!

Just getting booked today finally..... do you guys buy insurance? Do you buy through Carnival or elsewhere...... I was looking at insuremytrip.com. Thanks in advance

Does anyone happen to know if you can buy a spa package just to use the sauna and steam room for the week?  Or does the mardi gras even have those available?  I liked the days when they were absolutely  FREE 🙂

On 9/20/2022 at 9:45 PM, matymil said:

Just got back a couple of days ago from my first sailing on the Mardi Gras. I wanted to give my thoughts because i feel like people either love or hate this ship, i definitely fall in the middle. This sailing was originally supposed to happen in 2018 but had to be moved because of the birth of our child and since then was moved 4 more times because of covid. We had a sailing booked on the Mardi Gras original first sailing out of the US but that got canceled because the ship wasn't going to be finished on time, so this was a long time in the making. Our child who wasn't born when we were first supposed to go on the Dream in 2018 is now almost 4 years old lol! 

So first off, obviously the ship is gorgeous. When you first walk in for the first time, it takes a minute to get your bearings if you are used to all the other Carnival ships. It feels like you're gonna get swallowed whole in the ship but honestly it did not take that long to figure it out. I found out quickly that its almost split into two different ships. Two decks of staterooms, three decks of restaurants, shopping, entertainment (including what i consider to be the new lido area; summer landing) then 5 decks of just staterooms, then the lido decks, splash park, sports, bolt, etc.

 

Positives - First for me is definitely the updated staterooms. I saw somewhere that they were a little smaller, i didn't get that feeling at all. We had an oceanview on deck 4 and loved it. Lots more storage, some of the drawers pulled out, lots more usb ports plus we loved the decor. Also got pretty cold which personally i love and can sometimes be a problem for me on other ships. Oh yeah and DOORS on the shower!

-The dining (minus the lido); not only are all the new options amazing but we literally had the best staff in the MDR we've ever had, not just on a cruise ship but in any restaurant. They took extra time with our toddler, they had him dancing afew nights and really made him feel special. The food quality was always great wherever we ate on the ship (minus lido). I saw some complaints about food quality but we loved all of it.

-The Flying Scotsman; we had Chris as our cruise director. We didnt do too much with him but i still think other than Cookie that hes my favorite CD. From what we saw, he genuinely looked like he was having a blast. Plus since it was his last sailing, im pretty sure he had his family with him (we saw him in camp ocean with his daughter ?i think?) that was refreshing to see.

-Embark and debark; both and off the ship and for our ports was much more easier than i expected. Aside from having to wait in our stateroom for a half hour when the Freedom pulled up; longest it took for us to get off in a port was maybe 5 mins. Compared to the Magic this past July which took well over an hour.

-Excursions; we did Blue Lagoon at Nassau, Ocean World w/ Dolphin Encounter at Amber Cove & Private Beach w/ toys in Grand Turk. All were amazing!

-Serenity deck; my old favorite was the Sunshine but this one is in a class all its own. Its huge and even though it gets loud around the main pool, there is plenty of seating and its so big that you dont hear the pool noise. Also they have a fresh creations up there which is awesome.

 

Negatives - ELEVATORS! Believe what you heard. I went into the sailing hearing all the horror stories about the elevators and those stories were true; at least for us. They dont seem like they have that many more elevators compared to the rest of the ships and when you add another 2k guests it makes for long waits and chaos. Also everyone seemed to be complaining about how hot they were and that the buttons were on the side instead of the front like almost all other elevators. Instead of hitting the button as you walked in, you either had to reach across people or have someone else hit the button. We heard about this on almost every elevator trip. Also fun fact! Only two of the three bays reach the 4th deck so if your on that floor you cant use the aft elevators.

 

The sizes of the main lido deck, warehouse arcade, splash pad and gym - It seemed like some of the common areas where smaller than on other ships half the size. I dunno if they did a study and found places that they could cut for size because they werent popular but a couple of places on the ship seemed way to small. I can understand not making the arcade and gym bigger but it really stood out how small the main lido deck and splash area are because they were always crowded. I went to the gym once in the morning and could barely even walk it was so crowded. The rest of the time i went in the middle of the day and it wasnt to bad. I just don't understand why ships like the Pride, Splendor and Conquest have gyms and arcades that are the same size (if not alittle bigger) and hold thousands of less guests.

 

The "it was what it was" - The casino; its bigger than other ships for sure however its very narrow and if you like table games you may be in trouble. We found a couple of extra tables hidden in a corner of the smoking side on our last night but id still say that have less tables than a ship like the Magic. They were always packed. However! If you like slots then you are in luck cause they probably have 3x the amount of slots that ive seen on any other ship.

 

Lido buffet - It looks nice, i like that sections the eating areas off, it doesnt look like a cafeteria anymore. They also have really cool decor now. We didnt spend much time up there because there didnt seem to be much organization. It looks like they tried to eliminate the long lines by making more, smaller stations to grab your food. However by eliminating the lines, now what we saw alot of people do is just come up, grab what they wont and cut right in front of you. Like i only went up there for a late salad 3 times around closing time and i was cut every time i went up there.

 

Guest services location- its on deck 8 in a pretty busy corridor, right in front of summer landing. Got congested at times. I think they wanted to make it in a higher volume area but it just seemed very out of place.

 

Overall - we had an absolute blast. Didn't dislike the ship but didn't love it either. We came to the conclusion that we'd go on the Mardi Gras again if the price and itinerary were hard to pass up but we wouldn't go back on it just because its the Mardi Gras. I think we prefer the midsize ships because that seems to be Carnivals sweet spot, at least in my opinion.

DID YOU GUYS BOOK ALL YOUR EXCURSIONS THROUGH CARNIVAL OR ON YOUR OWN? WHAT WAS YOUR PRIVATE BEACH? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

We just booked last week to go to Alaska on 7/5/2022 .  Not sure what promotion everyone books under normally, but do you have price protection for it? Like if the price goes down do you still get OBC? I looked today and ours went down $75 so I called to get OBC. Our PVP quita month or so ago so this is the first time using a new one and when I booked last week I specifically asked to make sure it included the PP and she said it did and would book me under this promotion instead of that to have that available...... Yep called her and she's like like no OBC for you, nothing I can do. Left a sour taste in my mouth, as our previous guy would always get us upgrades and such . any suggestions, or is this legit?

oh man that sounds perfect for us........ our flight is at 11pm as well to head home. We got nonstop flights with Alaska for $150 at 11 or we could've paid over $300 each for an earlier day with stops.  Unfortunately we are on Carnival so that won't help us out I guess 😞.  Thanks for sharing the daypass info.  We may be able to take advantage of that and relax, nap, and still do somesightseeing.  

THANKS for all the advice 🙂. We ended up booking the Carnival Splendor 7/5/22 with these Tracy Arm Fjord, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchican, and Victoria.  I am sure we will have a fun time.  Thanks for excursion tips in Sitka, I will add them to my research list for the weekend.  If you have any other tips let me know !! 

are either of these close to the airport?  What kind of cab or uber cost from airport to hotel?  How close are these hotels to the port?

I am normally a beach lover but my hubby has always wanted to do an Alaska tour. This week works best for our schedule and has ports at Tracy Arm Fjord, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchican, and Victoria.  I don't really know where to start but look for info here at CC.  Any suggestions you might throw my way?  The week before cruise goes to Icy Straight Point instead of Sitka, is that something better?  I normally am booked a year ahead on most of our cruises so have plenty time to plan.  July 5th, 2022 will be here before we know it so I better get busy.

Thanks in advance for your help !!

We've never been to Seattle but are leaving on a cruise to Alaska on 7/5.  Need a good place to stay for a couple days to sightsee and watch the fireworks.  Close to port would be awesome 🙂  We aren't fancy but need super clean and safe area.  Just booking cruise tomorrow so just starting to plan.  Also, if you have been on a Alaska cruise tell me what we must see PLEASE !!  We are stopping at Tracy Arm Fjord, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Mary

We are supposed to cruise on the Freedom for New Years. Any idea when it’s supposed to be back loaded with passengers?

We just booked a Christmas cruise.  Do you normally buy the cruise insurance?  We have never bought it before but my husband insisted this time with covid.  So I get the bullet and bought it just on case.  We've both been vaccinated so praying we don't end up sick.  Have you cruised since they've started back up?  Did you feel safe?  Did you choose to wear a mask on the boat or is it now required?

If same price...... which would you pick and why?  for two guests

14 hours ago, Newfun4me said:

We are heading to Cozumel on the Vista in April.  We've been numerous times, as well, although usually from a land-based vacation in Playa.  What do ya'll do there??  We aren't really planning anything in advance, so I'd love to hear any advice you have.  Thanks!

Cozumel is our absolute favorite port. We always go to Paradise Beach.  It's beautiful there, you can buy food and drinks and they have like $3 admission fee.  They also now have all inclusive with food and drinks we realized when we were there over New Years.  I think it was like $50/60.  we didn't buy it, as we all had the cheers package lol

7 hours ago, IDKaren said:

Could you email me the PVP at IDKaren1@gmail.com please. My time is getting short and I. CAnt get thru!! Thank you,

I would love your pvp info.  Canceled thru travel agent who couldn't "get ahold of carnival" since Friday. But today I emailed since she hasn't returned calls and WOW within 30 minutes after I said cancel my reservation for 3/28, she emailed back she had talked to Carnival and canceled it.  WTH ?? Just call me back and answer my questions, which would save us all headaches.  Anyways, I still want to cruise on that date but couldn't get any info from them.  Maryhou88 at gmail dot com lol

Set to cruise 3/28.  We paid 1700 for our cruise for 2.  It is now 1520. Used a travel agent who says they haven't been able to get in contact with Carnival since Friday.(However people we know have gotten through and got additional OBC above the 200 for keeping their booking & they promised to get back with me Monday regardless but did not.........)  Considering cancelling and giving up our current OBC of 525(which we got from Carnival mastercard promo, travel agency obc and Carnival money to keep the cruise, and I'm assuming none will transfer).  We can rebook with our daughter and her casino rate in a balcony for 822 total for 3 people.  She isn't sure she can get off work, if she doesn't go can we keep her rate and just pay for her tips etc?  Doing it this way we'd still save over $350 plus get a first time balcony instead of our current inside room.  

Sorry if this doesn't make sense.  Any idea how long if I cancel today till I can rebook with the future cruise credit?

wow, I've tried calling all morning and all it says is we are experiencing high call volume , please try again 🙂

1 hour ago, CruisinSus said:

We took advantage of the unbelievable deals that Carnival is offering....canceled our cruise with Holland America and rebooked with a Casino offer from Carnival.   The whole cost of the Carnival cruise (including gratutities, a balcony room and transfer from airport) was LESS than the taxes and port fees that was refunded from Holland America.  And here is the cherry on top,  with our offer from Carnival we also received OBC and "drinks on us"    Alot of our friends and family think we are crazy for going on a cruise but being a Hoosier from Indiana I am ready for some fun and sun!!!

Bottom line maryhou it's worth a call to check it out!!

I will be calling shortly lol   where are you from in Indiana? We are on the westside of Indy. We are cruising the Breeze for spring break, what ship are you on?

Set to cruise 3/28.  We paid 1700 for our cruise for 2.  It is now 1520. Used a travel agent who says they haven't been able to get in contact with Carnival since Friday.(However people we know have gotten through and got additional OBC above the 200 for keeping their booking & they promised to get back with me Monday regardless but did not.........)  Considering cancelling and giving up our current OBC of 525(which we got from Carnival mastercard promo, travel agency obc and Carnival money to keep the cruise, and I'm assuming none will transfer).  We can rebook with our daughter and her casino rate in a balcony for 822 total for 3 people.  She isn't sure she can get off work, if she doesn't go can we keep her rate and just pay for her tips etc?  Doing it this way we'd still save over $350 plus get a first time balcony instead of our current inside room.  

Sorry if this doesn't make sense.  Any idea how long if I cancel today till I can rebook with the future cruise credit?

Y E S 

On 3/4/2020 at 9:26 AM, stellarose said:

love love the breeze. we did it winter break and had no issues with kids.  my teens loved it. I loved it. leaving from Florida (from DE) was a breeze.. haha

 

any questions- ask away

so is there any must see areas of the ship to see?  Something we might miss just walking around.  We normally enjoy hanging in the sports bar, but they don't have this on the Breeze.  Did you notice are there other areas to watch March Madness by chance?  We will be on over spring break and there will be tons of games

On 2/23/2020 at 9:45 PM, hurricane0226 said:

Will be on the Breeze on Aug 1st, second time and also getting a cove balcony

again, luv those. Will be taking our Grandson for his first cruise, but he is well

behaved and will be close by, he is only 10, and has a mild case of autism.

he is so looking forward to this, and will be a thrill of a lifetime for him

so is the cove balcony better than a regular balcony?  what do you like/love about it?  We've only done inside and oceanview due to the prices.  But there are some decent prices now with the corona virus scare

Loved your review..... thanks for sharing.  It is nice to hear different points of view from other cruisers 🙂

On 3/9/2020 at 9:46 AM, Jenn24101 said:

Yes I am currently on the breeze, attempted to dock but seas have been rough and it was deemed unsafe. 

Hi Jenn 🙂 We are HOPEFULLY heading out on the Breeze in two weeks.  Have you been to the piano bar?  Is it fun?  We normally spend alot of time there and fingers crossed the PBE is full of energy and likes requests haha.

Do you have my time dining or assigned seating?  We are assigned to my time and are looking for requests of table #s or servers who are amazing to request daily.  

Are there any areas of the ship we must see or things we should do?  Would you mind posting pics of daily activities from funtimes if you can please.  

What did you do in each port and what did you love or hate? 

Thanks in advance !!  Can't wait to hear what you love or don't love about the ship 

On 3/4/2020 at 3:47 PM, Acheavacci said:

That was a bummer, so we went to the piano bar (not good at all and we tried it twice) and Ocean Plaza club to listen to music.  The band was awesome and the lead female singer was fantastic

Oh no who was the piano man/woman?  That bums me out, we are cruising on the Breeze in acouple weeks.  Hopefully maybe there is a new person