NauticalNeophyte

22 hours ago, stellarose said:

if its crowded, then I am a. blessed to be on the ship and able to cruise. b. blessed to be with my family on the ship.

I like your attitude

I also wish they’d add an outdoor ottoman or chance for a third chair in balcony cabins.  Asked both cruises and never got that third chair.  Why book 3 to a balcony cabin if only two can sit out at one time. At the very least make the table a table/ottoman combo for some flexibility.

I only have 2 cruises under my belt, and a third booked in April, so not a lot of experience.  I do wish Carnival would expand the list if ports of call, or at least switch up the itineraries a bit even though I haven’t been to most of the islands.  I know there are technical and logistical reasons for the itineraries they have, but why must all 7 day cruises travel the same circuit if you’re passing other islands anyway?  I don’t know if that makes sense, but I’d like a mix-or-match approach, and a few more options for location. I guess that would shoot prices up though. 

Sorry to hear about your dad @firefly333. My dad passed right before our first trip to Disney, so I completely understand.  I will say that the hotel was great about moving our reservation and we ended up saving about $300 when we had to move the trip back a week since he was Catholic and couldn’t be buried during Holy Week.  I hope everything works out okay for you. 

16 hours ago, firefly333 said:

True hotels are cheaper  ot in Galveston but I was looking for a hotel with free parking which I had for breeze last month and have next January.  Exactly my pt, you too aren't parking in Galveston lol. They have gone up since pre covid. They got greedy. Luckily cruise private parking I found some deals. 

 

I've been going and staying in Galveston for over 40 years. Briefly thought about a condo but decided on cape Canaveral   . Because of the weather. But I do know Galveston pretty darn well .. 

 

So far been lucky. Breeze b2b left on a monday, so wasnt a fri or sat., vista booked hotel 9 months in advance lololol. Crazy I know. I live in texas so staying in texas city does nothing but give me a head start next  morning. 

I really enjoyed cruising from Port Canaveral on the last cruise. We almost booked the MG for a late May cruise as the price and itinerary were comparable.  I decided last minute that I did not want to be bothered with the logistics of a flight with air travel being so unreliable lately.  The last thing I wanted was a last minute flight cancellation that left me rushing to het to Florida in time.  And no one felt mike making the drive since it’s not the whole family this time. 
 

I am going to miss the beautiful water at the port though.

2 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:

I am looking at Easter Week 2024. I like to plan WAY ahead and already have 3 cruises booked for 2022 & 2023. There are no cruises available for the Vista after October 2023, the arrival of the Jubilee must be the reason why. I wonder where the Vista is going? 
 

When I was researching for our cruise in 2020 I found out Easter Week is a huge travel time for Mexican families. In 2019 there were a lot of foreign travelers onboard which delayed departure because there were so many to process at debarkation. Texas kids all have Spring Break in March so that should help, have a great cruise! 

 

That’s very useful. Thanks. We survived Disney during Spring Break so we’ll make the best of it. I’m just happy to get back on a ship. 

Galveston hotels are always ridiculous. I found a decent rate in League City. Fortunately I grew up close by in Louisiana so I know the lay of the land, and have relatives I can crash with if need be. 

On 11/13/2021 at 1:06 AM, LaRue1975 said:

I was so excited to read this news! I just started looking this week for an Easter week cruise 2024 to take the kids and grandkids, we were all supposed to be on the Vista Easter Week 2020. We have a new granddaughter that arrived last December so we want to wait until she is at least 3 to do the family cruise. I wanted to rebook the the Vista but it is not listed as sailing from Galveston in April 2024. I looked into the Mardi Gras and Celebration but didn’t like the itineraries and would prefer to fly to Texas rather than coast to coast.

 

The Jubilee will be perfect, even sweeter because our very first cruise was on the original Jubilee in 1996 for our15th anniversary. We can celebrate our 48th on the new Jubilee with the whole family and I have three cruises booked in the meantime, retirement is looking up! 

The sailings must be sold out then. I’m booked on a 7 day on the Vista on 4/16.  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was the week of Easter when I booked and just wanted to book for my birthday. I’m praying the ship isn’t overrun with kids and am seriously considering moving it to the next week. 

Taino Beach was lovely. It’s about a 15 minute cab ride.  

We also got struck by a storm of love bugs outside Orlando last month.   Like to the point where I could barely see out the windshield.  Shout out to the crew at Enterprise Car Rental in Merritt Island for the awesome customer service.  They had to wash it for us to make it back to Louisiana.   

This was hands down the funniest review I’ve ever read.  I’ll be looking for “romphims” on my next cruise.

Glad you found another cruise!

In both my previous cabins on deck 8 under Lido, the only time I heard noise was the staff rolling the dish carts across the floors to the buffet.  It sounds like thunder in the distance, but was only a problem if you’re directly under the buffet.  The first cabin was under the carpeted dining area and it was perfectly fine.  I’ve only sailed balcony cabins, and I love reading at night and hearing the ocean, getting a first peek at the port in my pajamas, and sitting there during sail away after am excursion and a long, hot shower.  I don’t know if I could sail without a balcony. 

We were in 8376, 8378 and 8380 on Liberty.  Like @dmdiver said, it won’t work for all cabins. The partition between 8376 and 8378 wouldn’t work because opening the partition in 76 would block the balcony door in 78. The partition between 78 and 80 were fine.  You’ll  need the balcony door-window (cabin1)-window-balcony door (cabin2) configuration for it to work.  Our window-balcony door (cabin1)-balcony door-window(cabin 2) configuration was the problem.    I hope that made sense.   Check YouTube for videos. 

A family member booked a cruise out of Mobile this morning with no problem.  Older, smaller ship but may be an option. Mobile is only 2 hours from New Orleans. 

Valor has balcony cabins for the July 6th sailing if that works for you. It’s only a 4 day but you can extend your time in New Orleans if you wanted a longer trip. 

I’m really sorry for everyone who’s cruise was canceled, especially where airfare is concerned. I’m just goad you didn’t get stuck out to sea.  

7 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

 Looking at Sensation ocean view cabin.  With airfare and 5 night cruise == $1900 for two people in December.  Is that too much?

I’ve never had to fly to the port, so I can’t speak on whether that’s a good deal, but it sounds like it might be.  Are you limited to only Miami, or can you fly other ports?

I’ve only done the Triumph (Sunrise) and the Liberty, and thought the Liberty was the perfect size for me.  I think being on the right size ship for you will has a larger impact on whether you enjoy the cruise.  I need a good balance between activities to entertain me and amenities to keep me comfortable and happy.    This is based on my limited experience of course.  

The outside deck on the lobby deck was always a quiet spot to sit, especially in the evening.  I also found the smoking area on Liberty to be a ghost town at times, and got good seats i. The shade there since no one was smoking nearby.

Are you looking at a particular ship?  Are you planning on a balcony cabin?

We arrived to Port Canaveral about 10 minutes after our check in window, it was still seamless going through the early/late line.  I don’t think it took more than about 15 minutes for all eight of us to get on the ship. 

As a helpful tip, see if you catch a porter when disembarking.  A porter flagged us down as soon as we got off, and we were able to fast track it through customs and not stand in the line that was about an hour deep.  He rolled everything thing to the curb for a nice tip, and we were on our way in no time. Best $40 I ever spent!

That makes sense.  I was just being overly optimistic.  I still think they need to add mire destinations to their itineraries.  

Wherever the port is, and whatever it’s called (although I do like @jbethel11‘s idea of the Festivale), I hope it looks like the Mardi Gras with the dark hull.  I appreciate the luxury ocean liner look like the Disney ships.  And I think Carnival needs something aesthetically pleasing to set it apart other than the whale tail.  

Personally, and I have no professional or technical knowledge on this, but I think they need three ships of this class: one in Florida, one in the north (NYC), and one in the west coast. You shouldn’t have to travel across the country to sail this class of ship IMHO. Now if they’d just freshen up the itineraries...

You’re very welcome.  Well I certainly hope it lives up to my hype.  We had smooth seas, clean cabins, good food, and I was with my family.  How can that be a bad vacation?

14 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

NCL Breakaway can handle it, and she is 1068 feet whereas the Mardi Gras is 1129 feet. But, I am sure Carnival researched this possibility as well. However, we are all hoping! 

That’s true. I forget the Breakaway is there.

Just now, jbethel11 said:

SAME! That would be a dream! Plus, since it will already cost an arm and a leg with port taxes and fees, I would not have to pay airfare. It would also be nice to have Mardi Gras go to New Orleans for maybe when Mardi Gras takes place lol.

Since I’m an hour away, I vote for that idea.  They’d have to rebuild or remodel the port to accommodate I’m sure, but it’s okay. I can wait. 

I’d sail it for a 5-day to Bermuda.   We can wish anyway.

Thanks to @TRUEBLUE66 on the RCI forum, I saw the list of ships on order.  SPOILER ALERT: RCI has some behemoths coming 🙄

But it is not all bad news for the fun ships. If you scroll down to 2022, there ‘s a Carnival order for a LNG ship with a gross tonnage of 183,900.  Mardi Gras part deux?

Is anyone else excited about it? Old news?  I wonder where the port will be.  

https://www.amem.at/pdf/AMEM_Cruise-Ships-on-Order.pdf