DaisyGirl55

On longer cruises (more than the 3 or 4 day long weekend types) we find it is easier to just order from Bon Voyage. For my upcoming Splendor cruise, we ordered a bottle of Jack Daniels for $85. I believe it is the liter size, and is probably about twice what we would pay on land.

But it is much easier than taking the chance of smuggling, and getting caught....and the convenience is totally worth the extra money to me.

We don't drink enough to warrant the Cheers program, but I do like a drink (or three) on my balcony.

We received the tervis glasses on the Paradise in June and then the coffee mugs while on the Sensation a few weeks ago.

I wonder what the gift will be when we sail the Splendor as she repositions from San Juan to Miami?

Any guesses?

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and if your turned the wrong direction and headed forward instead--- wow that walk back is frightful

haha...I did that one night after a late night in the casino. Got to the end of the hallway, and could not figure out why the numbers were wrong. Had to turn around and walk all the way back to the other end...laughing at myself the whole way. Oh well, the extra steps meant a piece of pie with less guilt! :p

We do try to book the aft when possible as we really like the extended balcony and the extra room. We have never had any issues with neighbors, or noise, or soot. Guess we have lucked out! It is in the sun quite a bit with little to no shade at times, but for the most part we usually have a nice breeze when the ship is sailing. I never get tired at looking at the water behind the ship.

It isn't for everyone, but for now - it is for us. We talk about getting a suite in the middle of the ship as the rooms look fantastic. Just not sure we will like the smaller balcony. We will just have to try it sometime!

Thanks for a great review and for taking the time to post it. I am sailing on the Vision OTS in 2 weeks, and I am beyond excited!

Will definitely try the rigatoni at dinner, and the blueberry peach crumble too!

Thank you SO much for posting your review! I am sailing on this ship in 2 weeks, and the reviews have been less than stellar. Now I am a firm believer that a positive attitide goes a long way, and if you look for crap - yo find it. But if you have an attitude of fun and look for the good, well that is what you find instead!

Glad you had a good time...I am feeling much relieved!

I know it is a gamble, and I hear about cruisers being assigned some fantastic rooms. What about the not so fantastic rooms?

Is it worth the gamble?

Does Grand Cayman/Georgetown have any beach inclusives like Cozumel does? I am talking about the places in Cozumel such as Nachi Cocum, Paradise Beach and Mr Sanchos.

We have no interest in butterflies or sting rays, and just want to kick back on the beach. I see 7-Mile beach mentioned quite a bit. Do they have chairs? Food? Facilities?

Any other suggestions?

Does Grand Cayman/Georgetown have any beach inclusives like Cozumel does? I am talking about the places in Cozumel such as Nachi Cocum, Paradise Beach and Mr Sanchos.

We have no interest in butterflies or sting rays, and just want to kick back on the beach. I see 7-Mile beach mentioned quite a bit. Do they have chairs? Food? Facilities?

Any other suggestions?

OP- I say go for it! Like you said it is a great opportunity. My DH wears his most of the time, unless it is a shorter cruise, or just a get-away cruise where we stay on the ship the whole time. Sometimes you just need some R&R down time!

But on the occsasions where we can play dress-up, we do. Most of the time we are pretty casual people. For us, dressing up and seeing what others are wearing enhances our cruising experience. I know many people like to keep it more casual, and that is okay too.

It really doesn't bother me what others are wearing...even if they are at my table. I cruise for me and for my DH.

Happy cruising!!

We love the Paradise and are sailing on her in June with the kids and grandkids. While we love the larger ships for the longer itineraries, we think the Paradise is perfect for those 4 and 5 day cruises out of Tampa.

Never fails to thrill me when we sail under the Sunshine Skyway bridge with only a few feet to spare. The moment we pass under the bridge is when the cruise really starts!

Breakfast at night would probably be a great idea for a buffet! My favorite stop after a night of drinking and dancing was always IHOP. Something about a waffle covered in butter and syrup always hit the spot for me!

This thread has been around longer than the leftovers I used to find in my DH's fridge before we were married! :eek:

Your photos and your posts have convinced me to give this ship a try! I was looking more towards the Voyager or Freedom class as I love the Royal Promenade, but I don't think I will miss it after looking at your pictures.

Can you tell me about some of the shows on this ship? I was on the Liberty OTS a few weeks ago, and saw Saturday Night Fever as well as an awesome show called Air (a Cirque du Soliel type show).

I'm calling RCCL now to get some info on booking!

I am looking to book a cruise this summer for a short-getaway-weekend type cruise. I love the ships with the great Promenade all enclosed. The parade and the shops and the restaurants in the Promenade are so much fun!

I know that the smaller ships like the Sovereign class do not have a Promenade like that. Do all other class of ships larger than the Sovereign class have this feature? Is there an easy way to find this out?

Thank you in advance for your help!

I am looking to book a cruise this summer for a short-getaway-weekend type cruise. I love the ships with the great Promenade all enclosed. The parade and the shops and the restaurants in the Promenade are so much fun!

I know that the smaller ships like the Sovereign class do not have a Promenade like that. Do all other class of ships larger than the Sovereign class have this feature? Is there an easy way to find this out?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Wishing you the best of everything as you continue on this adventure called life! How much sweeter it will be with the love of your life at your side.

Don't be a stranger to the Boards!

I have a PVP that I use when I book my Carnival cruise. He helps with the occasional issue or answers a question or two. Mostly, I know the ship, the date, and even the cabin when I call him. He books it and takes my deposit. After that, I do not usually hear from him.

He is not the quickest in response time wither by email or by phone, and when I want to talk to him - it usually takes me several attempts before we connect.

So my question is this: What does your PVP do for you? Should I expect more? Do I really need a dedicated PVP or just talk to whoever answers the phone when I call Carnival?

Okay - that is several questions...:p

Can someone clear this up for me??

First of all- enjoy your Aft Balcony! We just love the extra balcony space, and the views are just beautiful.

Having said that, the majority of our aft cabins have had a sofa...except for our last cruise on the Valor. Just a small chair stuck in the corner. At first I thought I would not miss the sofa...but I was wrong! As the week goes by the sofa is a nice place to stage stuff, store extra things and just a nice place to sit besides the bed.

I will be sure to try and ask if a sofa is in my room from here on out!

Thanks for posting! I am sailing on the Valor out of SJ in just 12 days and 12 hours (but who's counting! ;))

I love reviews that are to the point and concise...love-love the ones with pictures...but LOVE-LOVE-LOVE the ones where there is so much personality in the writing that I feel I was right there with you!

Great start, and just what I need to hold me over until I sail in 25 days.

Like you said...my body is sitting at my desk in the office...but my mind is already on that ship!

Cruising on the Valor next month, and soooo ready to get on the plane and start my vacation! Looking forward to reading your review and seeing your pictures!

Going on this cruise in less than 2 months...so I have 3 words for your review so far: More-More-More!

Great review so far! I subscribed to this post as well...I don't want to miss the rest of the story!

I am sailing this itinerary in September with a great group of friends that I met here on Cruise Critic. This is actually our 4th cruise together, and the core group has stayed together. I am going to let them all know about your review.

looking forward to more - more - more!

I have arthritis. Not as bad as some of you do. But going up and down stairs is hard. I can still do it. But I take my time. My questions are while you are on the ship. First you have the muster drill. They force you to use the stairs. I insisted I needed to use the elevator. What do you do? Then all over the ship there is stairs to climb. When you go to a show in the theater. We go on Princess. They have a wonderful adult sanctuary area we book. But to get there is hard. Go to the Lotus Spa. Out the door around the pool then up a flight of stairs. Then to get food and drink at the Lido deck you go around the sun deck and down a steep flight of stairs. So what do you do while onboard the ship? If go in a port and have to do a tender ship then you have short stairs to get into the ship. On and on problems for us with arthritis. As mine gets worse as I age what do you older ones do? I am 55 now.

To avoid the stairs leading up to the muster drill when they shut down the elevators - just find out where your muster station is and about 15 or 20 minutes before the muster drill is scheduled just take an elevator up to that deck...find a place to sit, relax, and people watch until it starts.

When it is over, wait about 5 minutes for the crowd to disperse, then grab a drink and head outside to enjoy your sail away.

It is the only way my DH and I can do muster. If they had to wait for us to climb the stairs, muster would be over by the time we got to the station! :p