ChuckF

We're leaving Sunday on the Pride re-positioning cruise from Tampa, and they haven't told us whether we will end up in Baltimore or Norfolk. All indications point to Norfolk, but Carnival has yet to say anything official.  I think September is way further back than the back burner. 

On 4/1/2024 at 3:35 PM, PlanoTim said:

Thanks.  I appreciate you time to help me understand.  My brother enjoys Blackjack and I'm sure he prefers a table where friendly folks are playing as expected.  I'll chat with him further about it sometime.

 

Now, can you explain to me in one sentence how to play Craps? 😁

Roll the dice and hope you never roll a 7. 

I am less upset when someone doesn't hit, as opposed to taking a hit when they absolutely should not. 

You can keep your Priority boarding, fanny packs, parties and free drinks.  JUST DON'T MESS WITH MY LAUNDRY!

On 3/19/2024 at 6:55 AM, pcvtmom said:

The Pride is a wonderful ship! We've sailed on her several times from Baltimore,  and in 19 days we will be on the 14 day repositioning cruise bringing her back to Baltimore from Tampa. Enjoy your cruise!

Be there with you for the Journey's cruise.  First time on Pride. Looking forward to it. 

We either stay on the ship, or take a Carnival excursion to the EcoPark.  They have several activities you can sign up (and pay for), or just hang out at their pool.  We've done it a few times and end up talking to Carnival passengers on other ships in port.  Kind of cool hearing their experiences. 

Avoid the Thursday to Monday cruises. The Breeze does these out of Galveston and they do have a reputation for being Booze Cruises. And it really doesn't matter what time of year, because school is not an issue when considering a weekend bender. 

Thanks for the review. We experienced the same issue with lines on our Vista cruise several years ago. Won't go on this class ship unless in the Havana area. 

We were on the Magic last Easter.  More kids than expected, but overall did not seem overly crowded. 

We were on the Dream after Thanksgiving with Tyler.  That was his second cruise on the Dream. We thought he was pretty good.  High energy, not overly intrusive.  And most of all his voice didn't sound like fingernails on a blackboard like some we have had. Also, we couldn't make it to Roatan due to weather, and he did a great job of pulling activities together at the last minute for an extra unplanned sea day. 

Ocean Plaza is the happening spot. A wide variety of live music, including the rock band.  Not sure if you play in the casino, but there is a non-smoking annex on Deck 4. We rarely have problems finding a lounge chair on Serenity.  Yea, the clam shells go pretty fast, but can usually find a chair. 

The Magic is having some issues right now, hopefully it will be OK for your cruise. 

Not sure about the show times on the Excel class ships, but most others have a 7:30 show.  The shows are generally over at or before 8:15. We always get seats in the balcony where we can head out, generally on Deck 4, and head straight to the MDR. By the time we get there, most of the line has dissipated and we walk right in generally right on time.  We also think that early dining cuts into the afternoon activities a little too much, and we're generally not hungry by 6:15. 

Magic!! Ocean Plaza rocks. 

While it may not be the best value, we always get a specialty coffee at Sea Day Brunch as our free drink. 

Wife and I were on the Magic on Easter 2023.  Without kids, so all of those kids activities had no appeal to us, but were excited to see that they offered a non-denominational Easter service. Unfortunately, it was led by one of the Fun Squad members who apparently had never heard the Easter story. She was reading scripture from Matthew and could not pronounce any of the names or places that those of us who have heard that story over and over.  It was very sad. On the bright side, one of the Playlist performers sang a beautiful hymn, and a little girl from the audience said an amazing prayer. It's just sad that they assigned this activity just like any other Fun Squad activity rather than assigning it to someone who knew and cherished the story. 

Thanks for all the replies. Looking forward to first experience in the Havana area. 

I'm looking at a couple of cruise options on Vista class ships, and want to stay in the Havana area.  Never done that before. Is there any downside to being on deck 5, or the two last interiors on Decks 6 or 7 at back of boat? 

We go to Nohoch Kay Beach Club.  Have to book through www.elgrannohochkaybigfish.com; or reservations@elgrannohochkaybigfish.com. Nice laid back beach area reasonably priced.  You have to contact them and get information, and a specific cab.  As stated above, it's a bit of a maze to negotiate the port and find the cabs. 

Did this cruise a little over a year ago, and was on the Dream about a month ago.  We did a Carnival excursion to ride a ferry boat through the canal.  Although it was a very long day, I think the experience was worth it.  They take a picture of you on the ferry in the canal, and the border says "Been There, Done That".  Definitely a must do, but only once. 

I'm really terrible with names, but we thought the CD from last month was great, and the Dream RockBand was awesome, especially the guitar player. And a couple of the Playlist performers had pretty amazing voices. 

I just really wish the Dream had a Red Frog Pub instead of that unused art gallery. 

Wife and I have been big Buffet fans for the entirety of our relationship (39 + years).  For some time now, we bring a small bluetooth speaker to listen to tunes in the room while getting dressed for dinner.  After Jimmy's passing, we started a new tradition.  Last night of the cruise before going to dinner (always 8:15), we play Lovely Cruise and dance in our stateroom in memory of Jimmy. 

116, 291, 395

For me, the arrived moment is the first Guy's Burger. 

Vista and Horizon are the same ship. MG will have more activities, more food options, but a lot more people. Never been on an Excel class ship, so can't really speak to the feel. Just not that excited about that many more people. As a casino player, they haven't increased the seats at the table games proportionally. IMHO, unless you're staying in the Havana area on Vista/Horizon, the Magic is almost the same ship with fewer people. Personal preference, but we like the Magic. 

Looking at Horizon.  We want to do a Havana room. 

Not sure what you like to do on a cruise, but I wouldn't judge all of Carnival based on the Miracle. Larger ships do have more options for entertainment and food choices, but alas, longer lines. We just got off the Celebrity Eclipse and while we had a great cruise, there were things that I missed about Carnival. Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina for lunch was sorely missed. One other thing that we found unusual about Celebrity is that we never saw our room steward. But every time we returned to our room, it had been cleaned. On Carnival your steward will be very visible and shout hello to you every time you step in the hall. There are other subtle differences that just depend on what you like to do. If you like to play in the Casino, go Carnival. If you like to spend money on specialty restaurants, you'll find more options on Celebrity than similar sized ships on Carnival. We thought the Production Shows on Carnival were more to our liking, although the Celebrity cast members were super-talented. A lot of the common areas on Celebrity were taken up by bars and restaurants. I think you'll find more space dedicated to fun activities and live music on Carnival. 

IMHO