Tampa Bay Irish

In general, Carnival's sports programming is substandard. And unfortunately it's hockey coverage is next to nonexistent, with the exception of a national game on NBC on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. NBC Sports Network and the NHL Network are not available. Go Lightning!

Nassau...bring back British rule of law.

My family and I recently finished a 7 day Mexican Riveria cruise from Long Beach. We normally spend our Spring breaks cruising the Carribean. I am going to elaborate on the differences to aid other typical Carribean cruisers who are considering cruising the Pacific.

1. Even with a non stop Delta flight, it's a long flight and a long day going from Orlando to LAX. I recommend a good book and an aisle seat. LAX was not nearly as bad as its reputation. We used Prime Time Shuttle to get to and from the port. They were outstanding.

2. The Pacific is cooler and wilder than the Carribean. No one in our family got seasick but we all noticed that the Carnival Miracle had more roll to it compared to a Carribean foray. The air is much cooler too. During the first sea day outbound and the final two sea days inbound, the air was much cooler and more windy to the point of making of sunbathing uncomfortable. No rain but a mixture of partly cloudy and cloudy and a lot of wind. Lots of deck chairs were available on all three sea days. That never happens in the Carribean. The air was considerably warmer during the three port days (Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta). In fact the weather was perfect for all 3 port days. A little windy.

I will continue soon.

I think as long as you prepare them for things they might see on a Carnival cruise then let them draw their own conclusions.

You may see adults drinking, smoking, gambling and occasionally swearing. Despite all the drinking, I don't think I have ever seen a drunk, but in fairness I don't stay out all night. You won't see topless European sunbathing. Carnival took away the funnel deck about a decade ago. You might see the hairy chest contest, the ice carving and filming of Carnival newlywed game.

Thank you Amy. I was hoping for the new menus.

If she is not already in dry dock, she will be going very shortly for a quick refit. I am scheduled to sail her the second cruise after dry dock (March 28). My understanding is that she will not get the full 2.0 upgrade. No Guy's and no Blue Iguana. My question for the community is that did the Miracle already have the New American Table Menu and if not, will she have it after dry dock. Thanks.

The proposed "upgrades" are underwhelming to say the least. No Blue Iguana and no Guys, the only 2 upgrades that we actually cared about. Our family will be onboard for the second cruise after dry dock.

Carnival used to have a program called luggage express. Where, for a fee and your flight information, Carnival would take care of your checked bags, get them to the airport and on the correct flight. You will not see your bags again until you arrive at baggage claim in your home airport. We used the service in Seattle coming back from an Alaskan cruise. Call your PVP to see if they provide this service in Miami. If they say no, ask again on the ship. Historically I have found that Carnival PVPs are not as well informed about small details. You could always ask your pre cruise hotel if they would watch your bags for a few hours. Ask in person at the front desk. It is much more difficult to say "no" to someone when they are standing right in front of you. It's easier to say no on the phone and super easy to say "no" in an email. Good Luck.

I wish Carnival would bring back the Adults only, European, topless sun deck. If they could put it near a pool and a bar, ( and a few slot machines) they would print money.

I thought I read somewhere that entrees from the steakhouse menu were now available in the MDR for a lower price. Perhaps that is what the OP is referring to.

Thank you for all the replies.

In late March, our family of four will sailing on a week long Spring Break cruise out of Los Angeles/Long Beach. We will visit Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Prior to this we have always drove to the cruise port in our native Florida and sailed the Caribbean. We know nothing about cruising the Pacific and West Coast Mexico. We are flying Delta non stop from Orlando to LAX on the day of our departure. It's an early flight. Should arrive plenty earlier. How long to gather up bags and get to the port? Is the boarding procedure significantly different that the Florida cruise ports. We are not platinum. What is the air temperature likely to be on our sea day on the way to Cabo in late March? What's the air/water temperature in all of our ports. We are used to the warm Caribbean seas and skies. What's the rain chance in those waters in late March? Passing shower or all day rain? What should not be missed in these 3 ports? After the cruise is over, are there any excursions that will drop me off at LAX? Is "luggage express" offered from Long Beach to LAX? Anything else I should know? Thanks shipmates.

I agree with earlier posters. Pass on the deal. It's only a slightly larger room. Not worth it. We did take the "upgrade offer." Never again. You won't even notice the difference in room size.

My family and I are Carnival loyalists (but not the dreaded cheerleaders). I just read on Yahoo that Disney is going to call on Martinique. It sure would be nice if Carnival made a regular call on Martinique. Carnival needs new ports in the Caribbean. We pick our cruises based on where the ship is going and not on the ship itself. A little more variety would be greatly appreciated. How soon before the antiquated embargo is over with Cuba? If the U.S. lifted the embargo with Cuba, the Castro brothers would be out of power in a couple of years. As Gorbachev found out the hard way, you can't give oppressed people a little freedom, they always want more.

It always amazes me that any comment even remotely critical of Carnival brings out the Carnival Cheerleaders. For the record, I am very loyal to Carnival when making cruise plans. The cheerleaders get to me.

If Carnival were smart and forward looking. They would find a way to provide free internet on board to all their passengers. Young people today (30 and under) love to constantly be connected to their friends. The first mass market cruise line that offers free wi if to all passengers will instantly win the loyalty of the entire generation. These people already fit Carnival's Forever Young and Fun target Demographic. I am sure it will be expensive and I am sure there are some technical challenges to over come. But every time somebody post a Lido deck video of them having fun, it will be like an unpaid Carnival commercial on Facebook. The key to doing this is to be seen as the leader and to keep upgrading the quality of your product.

I have never taken my own soda before but want to bring some canned soda this time. I want to tape the box in case of it breaking and spilling my can everywhere but will carnival make me rip apart the box in case they think I'm trying to smuggle alcohol onboard? Even if I bring bottled soda same question.

They did that to me in Miami. Don't reinforce the 12 packs with tape. They will think you are trying to sneak beer on board.

Tort lawyers are scum.

Tort lawyers are scum...pure scum.

Our family of four did it on our last cruise. In our opinion it was not worth the cost. Yes, you will see parts of the ship that are not normally accessible. Nothing spectacular. The trip to the bridge was nice. But not worth the price. This is the kind of tour that Carnival should offer for free to repeat cruisers on board.

We did the Baths on our own a few years back. It can be done. You have to have a lot of time in port and you have to know the ferry schedule. You also have to take a cab from where the ferry lands in Virgin Gorda to the actual Baths. Since our time in port is short this cruise, we are going on a ship tour. You may also seek out other local vendors. We inquired to Patouche.com but they were already booked that day. Patouche gave us a couple of other names but by that time we had already booked through Carnival. Good luck.