Frank12

That mac n cheese looks divine!

I can't believe you were on that ship for a week and they couldn't get a decent bottle of tequila for you at the Alchemy. That's insanity. *****?  I've had several cruises where I had to pick and choose my bars just to get Bombay Sapphire gin.  I don't get it!

17 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

What class of ship?

Conquest.

19 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

 

 One of the bartenders told me they hadn't made Bimini in two months.

That's odd.  We've been to Bimini 4 times and docked each time without a hitch.

Sure hope you made it.  Last summer American left me stranded in 2 different airports in the same week.  It was a miserable.  I will not fly with them again....EVER

Good morning.  Great job so far.  Really enjoying your adventures. Just off Mardi Gras 3 weeks a go and you have me wanting to go again! Next booking isn't till December for us.

46 minutes ago, Mommapadraig said:

Sid will be dumbfounded to hear @TxTeach79 was in the customer service line before sail away. 

Now this made me LOL!!!

3 hours ago, wrcjr98 said:

If you like spicy drinks, my husband isn't normally a martini drinker, but, he did enjoy the Chipotle Pineapple Martini that he got in the Casino on the Celebration.

Get it at the Alchemy.  Much better!

The early greased palm definitely helps.  Once you build a rapport with a server and tip them well they will look for you! Also, if you are playing tables and don't see any servers tell the pit boss you need bar service.  They will find you one!

6 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

 

BTW I DO love having a traditional atrium; I miss those on the Excel class ships!

 

I agree 100%.  Atrium bar is a great place to hang out.

7 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

@Jamman54 I will!  She is the best!

Zora is great.  

Thankfully we don't sail her again until December.  Hopefully it will be right after a cold front sweeps through the deep south! 😜

If DD and the pet sitter are both on FB, they can use messenger to communicate.

We love the Mardi Gras but agree with you on several of your Cons.  The size of the casino and availability of tables is completely ridiculous for that many passengers.  Two $10 blackjack tables (14 seats) for 6,000 pax. 

Elevators are terribly slow and always super crowded.

Buffet food on Lido deck was not good at all.  Thank goodness for Street Eats, Guys, and Big Chicken.

Piano Bar (Brad) was terrible. I saw several reviews where folks said how great he was.  They have obviously never been to a great piano bar!😜

We did have really good food in the MDR.  You must have hit a bad week.

And yes, Alchemy and Fortune Teller bar have fantastic drinks!

Totally agree with you about the straw market.  That place stresses me out. 

Water shoes. And those decks definitely get way too hot for my bare feet!

25 minutes ago, mlshum said:

The dining room was still pretty quick but alas, showtime was a little earlier than previous nights and we would up being there for the performance.  I guess it's OK.  We ate dessert.  One night in five isn't bad at all.  This night would be a conga line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both had a garden salad for an appetizer.  I had chicken parm and Ron had pepper steak for an entrée.  I had chocolate ice cream, and he had a banana split for dessert.  It was all very tasty, as it has been all week.  Way to go, Elation!

 

Epic Rock was playing in the Mikado theatre at 7:30.  I had seen it several times, but I always enjoy it.  I think it’s one of my favorite Playlist shows.

 

 

I don't think I remember this guitar decoration from before.

 

 

I definitely remember the speaker screen from before.

 

 

 

After Epic Rock, we didn’t yet have enough music, so we went in search of whatever else was available.  We first stopped to hear Kenny J.  He was pretty good.  He was a soloist with an acoustic guitar.  I didn't get a picture of him.  We listened to him for a while and then wandered up to the Drama Bar to catch a little of Music Manila.  They had been playing all week, but we had missed them until this point.

 

 

We'll get a better seat for the next show!

 

The Drama Bar is basically the bar immediately beside the casino and basically a wide spot in the hall.  A small stage is positioned on the side in front of a window.  There were quite a few people already listening to these guys and we quickly discovered why.  They are really good!

 

Music Manila is a group of four guys.  There is a lead guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums.  They play 70’s and 80’s music.  It appears that they've been performing on Carnival ships for many years.  I think what made them so much fun is that THEY were having a ball performing.  It’s always fun to watch people who enjoy what they are doing!  We watched them for quite a while and decided to head for bed.  We were tired.  Tomorrow would be our very last day.  Ugh!  Time goes by so quickly on a cruise!

 

Music Manilla sounds fun.  I hope someone like that is on her in December!

Sailed Mardi Gras a few weeks ago and I only had 2 main complaints. 1- The elevator situation is horrible! I almost exclusively used the stairs ( which I needed anyway! ) LOL.  I can't tell you how many times we were waiting on an elevator and watched a completely empty one (glass doors) go right on by us without stopping!

2-The casino is way too crowded! They had 2 $10 Blackjack tables ( 14 chairs) for nearly 6,000 passengers.

You do the math....  They kept a $100 table open the whole time and it was almost always empty.

On Mardi Gras my favorite is the Watermelon Crush.  You can only get it at the Watering Hole bar on deck 8 Aft, starboard side.  Just outside of the Hero's lounge.  It has different hours and is not always open.  It is a fantastic "fruity" drink that is not near as sweet as most others on board.

6 hours ago, mlshum said:

  Next year we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary with a trip to Alaska on Spirit.

Happy 40th!  Out of our 40 cruises the two best ones were Alaska...and Alaska! Can't wait to go again.  We loved the Spirit. Great ship.

8 hours ago, mlshum said:

 

 

Have you sailed every ship in the fleet?  Your website is fantastic, by the way.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve used it.

This question and Greg's response got me to thinking...so I went and checked our cruise history. We've sailed 21 Carnival ships, 6 of which are no longer in service! The most (7) on Liberty.

Sorry for the hi-jack.  Enjoying the review! Carry on...🤣

I'm on board.  Living in Florida, we have 2 booked on the Elation in the next 14 months.  Haven't been on Fantasy Class in almost 5 years.  Our First ever 20 years ago was on the Fantasy!

It really depends on who reviews it I think. In the past few months I've had it applied successfully twice and denied once with a casino rate.  Prior to that I never had it denied no matter what rate I booked at.  Give it a shot.  It never hurts to ask!😜

2 hours ago, EL Pitman said:

Coffee Roast Duck.  Does this actually TASTE like coffee?  My hubby loves duck, but doesn't do coffee.  (I know, I know, he's not really human.  BUT he doesnt begrudge me my coffee and I have grown accustomed to having him around.....)  I'm just wondering if I should steer him away from it.  🙂

It does not taste like coffee at all.  I've ordered it on 3 of my last 4 cruises and it has been consistently one of my best meals in the MDR each time.

Mardi Gras had it last week. I don't drink it but saw several people with it.