lazydayz

I would have taken the spa cabin upgrade. Well worth it to me. Congrats.

Interesting. What did you like better about the Celebration? I actually prefer the Mardi Gras, mostly because of the expanded Emerill's, and Bar Della Rosa, Fortune Teller and Brass Magnolia bars. I felt Carnival kind of cheaped out on the bars on the Celebration that replace these three. However, I totally agree that the Excel class has raised the bar and anyone who thinks it is the same old entertainment is way off base (not aimed at you, btw), and either hasn't sailed the Excel class or if they have, must have sat in their cabin for the entire cruise.

So glad to see another Sid review. Subscribed and ready for the party!

Loved your review. Thanks and welcome home.

Thanks for the commentary and the photos. Makes me want to go back to Paris!

Love that museum. Color me jealous but happy for you,

It has to be a rate available to the general public. So since your new offer was associated with your VIFP number, it was not available to the general public. Highlighted the requirement for you below. However, if you booked ES, you should be able to get the price drop. LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEEThe Lowest Price Guarantee applies to the cruise fare only. The Lowest Price Guarantee protection will not apply to prevailing Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses. Lower rates must be publicly advertised fares available to the general public and exclude group rates, membership programs, charters or other Travel Agent promotions not offered by Carnival to the general public, including but not limited to travel agent rebates.

I would not let Carnival off the hook. They can figure it out, even if it is returning you to your original cabin and code. But I do think it is unfair to the crew to stiff them because of a problem Carnival, the corporation, created.

Great result! Congrats and enjoy your cruise.

For an underwhelming cruise, it looks and sounds like you had a pretty good cruise. To each their own, but if the worst thing I can say about a cruise is it wasn’t personalized, I call that a good vacation. To others who have not yet experienced an Excel class ship who want personalized service, rent a Loft 19 cabana. In my opinion, it’s the best place on the ship for warm, personal service.

I don't think so, but if you have a PVP, they can tell you.

So glad you enjoyed. Mardi Gras is our favorite ship. So much to see, do, eat and drink!

Hmm, I believe they do the Wobble, Michael Jackson's thriller, and some from the 70s, including the Hustle. They give classes on the days that will have a performance or deck party with that theme. So while practicing ahead of time is a good idea, definitely go to the classes. They are a lot of fun.

Love the elevators on the Horizon. Like previous poster said, you select your floor and number of people before getting on. The panel will then tell you which elevator to use. It is so easy and makes so much sense. Unfortunately, some people couldn't figure the elevators out, so Carnival went back to standard elevator calling on the Excel class ships. You can request a copy of the Fun Times from your cabin steward, or just look for daily activities on the app. There is a ton to do, such as comedy shows, trivia, cooking or towel animal demonstrations, music all over the ship. There is a reason Carnival has the fun ships - there's always something to do. Enjoy.

I try to experience each new port. But my favs in the Caribbean are the ABC islands. Key West is fun, and really enjoyed Bimini. At one point, I grew tired of Cozumel, but now enjoy it. We often skip Nassau, and even have had a few cruises where we didn't get off the ship at all. After 70+ Caribbean cruises, we are a lot pickier about what ports we explore.

Once Carnival understood the reason why a change was needed, they were cooperative in allowing us to add the groom's uncle in place of the groom's mom. Yes, a family death so close to the wedding was awful, but not unexpected. Really felt for the bride and groom, but they decided to carry on as his mom often told them, "life is for the living." And it was nice that the groom had his uncle and aunt there to support him.

I booked a wedding cruise for my daughter and ended up with 20 rooms. Some chose to be in the group, but I did not because I got better pricing for myself due to other factors. All of us used the same travel agent, and she dealt with each cabin individually. Those in the group got OBC, and some gifts from the TA. I did get involved near the end when the TA and Carnival wanted to charge a "change" fee when the mother of the groom died just weeks before the cruise. All in all, it was a success, but other than transport to and from the ship (hired a bus to pick up from three locations and drop off at the same places), and the actual wedding and reception, we simply told the others what we were doing and they could come or not. Dinners were fun, as we had three big tables with an assigned dining time. We would just switch tables so everyone got to interact with who they wanted. But I would not do this without a TA who deals directly with each cabin.

Or just book it for three, then drop the third just before final payment. If I really wanted a balcony cabin on Lido, that’s what I would do once I spoke to my PVP. Of course it is a little bit of a gamble.

Not much effort went into that.

Noise is likely. Guess it depends how deep a sleeper you are, but the one or two times we were under the Lido, I heard that scrapping and it was awful.

Agreed, but not sure how you got to "Nobody is forced to go"? Who said anything about it being forced or voluntary?

That is different from the Diamond Event. We have skipped the Platinum/Diamond Party on all five of our Excel class cruises as it is so lame. If I have Free Drinks Everywhere, why would I go for one free drink? For those that don't have some versions of the Cheers package, at least they add one free drink to your card. But in my opinion, that is lame as well. We are Diamond Plus on Royal, and every day we get four or five free drinks from any bar at any time.

Can’t wait.I will be Diamond on my next cruise. A three night cruise on the Liberty at the end of June. Then hubby will be Diamond as well on our Pride cruise to Iceland. Since that is a 12 night cruise, I bet half the ship will be Diamond.

OP, I appreciate your honest opinions. On this long of a trip, there are going to be issues. Like long lines and food you don’t like. But your overall enjoyment is shining through. What an amazing trip!

Your food at Rudi’s looks good but I miss the fun plates.