AQW

13 hours ago, 1kaper said:

🎶You can't eat at everyone's house,

No, you can't eat at everyone's house🎶

Glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of this hilarious TikTok trend!

On 1/30/2023 at 7:08 AM, KmomChicago said:

 

@AQW if you are still out there, your NCL Alaska cruise is now getting closer and I would like details.

Sorry for the delay in responding @KmomChicago, I've been offline. I'm also afraid I won't be much help -- I couldn't tell you a thing about the upcoming NCL Alaska cruise in July other than we're going to Glacier Bay (the one thing I asked the planner to do). This is a celebration cruise for my best friend who beat breast cancer last year; her brother is planning and paying for this trip for her family and the folks who got her through the dark days. We could be on a rowboat with granola bars and juice boxes for all I care, as I'm sure you can understand! ❤️ I hope your planning is going well. 

On 10/13/2022 at 12:32 AM, n6uqqq said:

The Spirit class triple length balconies make great dining areas in lieu of the lido area. 

When bestie and I cruised earlier this year and wanted to avoid Covid, we brought cafeteria trays like the Amazon ones linked above, procured all our food from buffet/Guy's/deli/pizza, and ate on our beautiful bowling alley balcony. Didn't miss the dining room one bit. ❤️

14 hours ago, UPNYGuy said:

you would be seriously put off by Oceania. the evening entertainment is a string quartet that plays in the lobby (not an atrium)

I mean, I would love to hear a string quartet... I just want to hear it as I sit with my feet curled up, cocoa in hand, wearing sweats. 😂

15 minutes ago, ilovesparky13 said:

Don’t dismiss taking a Carnival ship to Alaska. I just took one in May and it was PERFECT. Great activities, they had a naturalist onboard, covered pool deck, and wonderful entertainment. 

In 2017 I took a 14-night cruise to Alaska roundtrip from Long Beach (my home port) on the Miracle. It was my favorite cruise ever. ♥️ I'll be on the Spirit to Alaska in four days! 🚢

We have very similar cruising tastes! Carnival's product is a perfect fit for me. I don't want to dress up; I don't want five-star, white-glove dinner service; I don't care if the ships are aging or décor is dated; I like tons of trivia and silly deck parties and bargain cruises. I haven't even sailed Carnival's bigger/fancier ships; other than one cruise on Splendor and one on Freedom I've sailed nothing but Spirit class and Fantasy class for my 29 Carnival cruises. Put me in my beloved bowling alley balcony on a Spirit class ship and I'm a happy gal. 

I tried RCL once and Disney once early in my cruising career and have stuck with Carnival exclusively for the past 12 years or so. The only two things that would get me on another line would be an itinerary I *really* want to do that I can't get on Carnival, or if somebody else is paying (I'll be doing NCL to Alaska next summer on someone else's dime, but I'd never book that myself and it doesn't appeal to me any more than Carnival). 

On 6/18/2022 at 10:49 PM, SDPadreFan said:

Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer (Tracy Arm Cruising Day). 

I'm doing this excursion next month and would greatly appreciate whatever review/information you can share. Have a great time!

3 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

I do hope the testing goes away, but hopefully that is because the need for it goes away, not some arbitrary "meh, we've done enough".

That part! 

I'm constantly floored by people who want the testing requirement dropped so they don't have to "risk missing their vacation" -- in other words, they just want to be able to bring the virus onboard and expose thousands of people with impunity. Mind-boggling.

MEANAGERS!!! Bwahahahahahaha!! 😂

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

 Of course some contracted covid. Some even died. Most didn't. Why? Because masks and other mitigating factors work. I imagine these heroes are shaking their heads at the denial by some, and wondering why they bothered.

Truly unfathomable. 

4 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It is certainly legal for Carnival to ban any customer for any reason or no reason. There is no right to cruise. Frankly, some customers need to be fired.

AMEN.

2 hours ago, 80sGal said:

Can you tell me if the pullman in the ceiling (that wasn't in use) made any noise?  As in -- did it creak and rattle during the night?  I'm a light sleeper, but looking to book a cabin and the only ones left on the deck I want have pullmans.   Thanks!   

I've never heard a single sound from the stowed upper pullmans, no matter how rocky the seas.

On 6/5/2022 at 3:18 PM, land64shark said:

Same! We sail July 13. Can't wait, but getting really concerned about these spiking Covid numbers onboard the ships...

This damn pandemic, I swear! I have two cruises booked this summer -- 12-night Europe solo in June, then 6-night Alaska with my best friend a week later. I'm on the verge of canceling my Europe cruise because I don't want to risk catching Covid and having to miss the Alaska sailing, which is more important to me since I haven't seen my best friend in three years. Even though I'm very dedicated to Covid safety protocols (masking up everywhere, etc.), there's only so much I can control. 

Just ugh. 😔

My family is also doing the same B2B (come join us on the roll calls!) and we purchased a policy from Insure My Trip. I've used them often over the years, although I will likely be switching to an annual plan post-pandemic. 

In general, if you want pre-existing conditions to be covered (which you obviously do), you will need to purchase your insurance within a certain period (often 14 days) of your *initial* trip payment. I recommend shopping for insurance at the same time you're shopping for your cruise, then when you make your initial booking, hop right over and purchase your trip insurance.

6 minutes ago, ledges1 said:

It is really funny seeing how large the bags are for a couple going on a five day cruise. They must change out fits and shoes every few hours. This is Carnival, fashion is never in style.

My teen and I brought a HUGE suitcase, two carry-on suitcases, and two backpacks for a 9-day B2B. All of our clothing/toiletries/etc. fit in the carry-ons and backpacks. The only thing in the giant suitcase was bedding -- two queen-size fluffy blankets, two heavy memory foam pillows, one lumbar pillow, and two microbead throw pillows. 

We knew we would be spending countless hours lounging on our balcony, so we brought every creature comfort from home. Since we drove to the port, we figured why not? We dubbed it the Cozy Cruise, and it definitely lived up to the name. ♥️ 

7 hours ago, M&A said:

We are sailing on the Pride back to back Sep 2nd - an email from Carnival that testing is required for this B2B, required for all Euro/UK sailings

Ohhhhh, please let that be true for this month's sailings!! 

On 5/31/2022 at 10:11 AM, silvercrikhix said:

A Spirit class full remodel would be welcome, however, my concern would be they’d mess with the Vista Suites and that would be catastrophic. Those 4th floor VS’s are the best suites we’ve sailed in. Not the fanciest, not the most Perk laden, not the largest….but still THE best. We’ve never been in a Captains Suite on Carnival or a Garden Villa on NCL so we haven’t tried them all yet, but have had large 2 bdrm, 2 bath suites and we’ll take the Vista Suite hands down, any time we can snag one!! 

I would be devastated if they did away with my beloved bowling-alley balconies. The *only* cabin on a Spirit class ship that I would consider potentially better would be those Vista suites (which I haven't tried yet).

3 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Well, to the lady who was wearing her mask and sticking to her cabin: You were clearly in the right because my husband just tested positive for Covid today after our Alaskan cruise. He is vaccinated and boosted...and still REALLY sick. The only good thing is that he won't have to test before we sail or before we fly home now on our Europe cruise because he will have proof of recovery.

I'm so sorry to hear this... I hope he feels better right away. This damn virus is just relentless.

They'll have a wonderful time. We cruised with friends who are about 10-20% English proficient and they had a blast -- they were not competitive at trivia (obviously), and only went to one comedy show, but the main shows were a huge hit, as were karaoke, deck parties, and the piano bar. Something about music being the universal language, maybe? 🙂

2 hours ago, charliesdad63 said:

If I had that balcony, I would have spent most of my time out there too. 🙂

Amen -- I fully admit to selecting cruises based on the availability of these cabins. I can't begin to count the number of hours I've spent on those loungers (including sleeping out there on multiple occasions!). Not sure there's anyplace I'd rather be. Bliss. ♥️

4 hours ago, Aladdin22 said:

I don’t understand why you’d cruise and avoid others. Not my idea of a holiday 

3 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

I would suspect if you were actually wearing a mask outside on a moving cruise  ship people were watching you more than you were watching them probably but to each their own I suppose. 

Like clockwork...

5 hours ago, mrak said:

We sail On Spirit in a few weeks, so interested in any other observations you can offer. Thanks for posting! 

Same here! Following along.

6 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

OH, and what’s that down at the bottom there?

Woop-woop! Congrats! 🏆

6 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Ensenada. Sea lions all around the ship

My teen and I enjoyed the antics of these sea lions for well over an hour, then made memes and GIFs from our favorite pics. 🤣

16 hours ago, let's go cruising said:

What advice do you have for Covid-conscience cruising?

Do whatever makes sense to you for your personal level of risk acceptance, and ignore anybody who has an unsolicited opinion about it. 😉 

For me, I was masked at all times, indoors and out, with the exception of my own room and balcony, two outdoor meals in a clamshell on deck 11, and one indoor meal in a near-empty dining room. I attended one show in the main theater, sitting waaaaay in the back away from anybody else (theater was maybe one-third full). I spent the vast majority of my time on my beloved bowling-alley balcony, as well as people-watching on the open decks. 

I had a wonderful vacation. Again, it wasn't like pre-Covid at all, but it was a perfectly delightful, relaxing getaway. ♥️

2 hours ago, let's go cruising said:

Thanks! We are scheduled for 9 days and 12 hours from now. We are thinking of Lido for meals and taking food back to the room. (Trying to avoid Covid before, during and after cruise.) With the staffing issues, that might be a good thing to do. (We already paid our tips, so our waiters won't be hurt.)

This is what I did on a recent Miracle cruise, and what I plan to do on the Pride in three weeks. No, it's not the same experience as pre-Covid, but there are definitely worse things than eating a meal (that I didn't have to cook) while lounging on my fabulous balcony, listening to the waves and watching the ocean go by. ♥️ I can't wait.